New York Tales
by Bonesfanatic.0379
Summary: Hannah meets a young girl at a basketball game at a high school New York. The two begin to talk and a heavy conversation beings. Surprises and revelations are revealed. One shot.


Hannah walked into the huge gym that in St. Francis High school. She looked around the bleachers attempting to find a seat. She spotted a huge space that read reserved by a young girl but there was also space on the other side of her. Hannah approached the girl with long, wavy brunette hair and creamy porcelain skin.

"Is anyone sitting right here?" Hannah asked her.

The girl turned around to reveal her pale blue eyes, there were hints of gray in them like turbulence was about to ensue in the sky. The girl smiled at her. Hannah smiled back, something seemed familiar about the girl to her.

"No. You can take the seats." The girl said smiling.

"Thanks."

The basketball game was going to start in twenty minutes but until then, the two sat in silence. The girl was slightly turning towards Hannah, which made her notice she was wearing one of the players jerseys.

"Does your boyfriend play on the team?"

"No," The girl replied laughing, "My brother is number forty-seven."

"I've heard about him, he helped turned the team around. Freshman on the varsity team." Hannah exclaimed.

"Yeah, he needed it." The girl said smiling.

Hannah could not help but notice that the girl sat alone.

"Are you by yourself?"

"No, my older brother is waiting outside for my parents and the rest of my family. They drove all the way from D.C." The girl told her.

Hannah smiled at the girl, memories forming in her head. She had not been to D.C. in eighteen years. After her break-up with Seeley, she stayed for about two months until she was transferred back to Afghanistan. She had just come back to the states fifteen years ago. She was now working in New York to stay closer to her family.

"That's a long way. Do your parents live in D.C.?" Hannah's journalist side questioned.

"Yeah, we live there. My brother Zack, number forty-seven, he lives in New York with our oldest brother."

"Must be hard on your mom."

"She misses him. It's hardest on me though. I've looked out for him my entire life. I had a week off school so I came up Monday to stay with my brothers. They really missed me. I'm the only girl out of five kids."

"That had to be exciting."

"I got most of the attention. So yea, it was awesome." The girl says laughing.

"How old are you?" Hannah asks the young girl, really into their interesting conversation.

"I'll be eighteen February 14th." The girl says laughing.

"A Valentine's baby, that's special."

"So my aunt says. She claims it's a sign from the universe."

Hannah and the young girl laugh in unison.

"So you'll be going to college soon."

"Yea, I got accepted early decision to John Hospkins. I want to be a pediatrician. I know death all too well, so I want to give hope to younger generations to inspire life."

"That's amazing. My nephew, he's number eight on the team, he's so focused on basketball that he doesn't know what he wants to be."

"John is your nephew?"

"You know him?"

"He hits on me every time I come to visit. Sadly, my heart is taken."

The girl shows Hannah her phone, displaying a picture of the girl and a boy holding her waist from behind her.

"His name is Michael. We've been together for almost five years. He's in college already. He goes to George Washington University."

"Smart one. Hang on to him." Hannah advises her.

"I plan to. So do you live in New York?" The girl asks.

"Just moved back five years ago. I'm a journalist. I was in Afghanistan."

"That's amazing. My dad was there about two years before I was born. I'm happy he saved lives but I'm glad he came home before I was here. I don't know if I could be a military brat." The girl says, inciting laughter from Hannah and herself.

"Are you parents thinking of moving to New York?"

The girl shakes her head smiling.

"No, they love D.C. They could never leave. Plus they both have great jobs they love. My oldest brother plays for the Yankees so he moved up here when he got signed."

"Wow, he must be really great."

The girl shrugs her shoulders.

"Baseball is alright. I'm more of a hockey fan. Flyers all the way."

Memories of Seeley passed through Hannah's mind. She pushed them away before they could cause her any emotional harm.

"So are there any basketball fans besides Zach?"

"No. Basketball is alright to me too. I only got into it when Zach started playing last year. He was in a car crash and almost didn't survive," The girl starts telling Hannah whose eyes go wide with shock, "Broke both his legs and an arm. His brain started to bleed but luckily, the doctors spotted it in time and saved his life. He was into some bad stuff before the crash. He was popping X and prescription pills. I guess the crash rather saved his life in a metaphorically way. He cleaned up his act and told my parents he wanted to move here for a fresh start. He's been living here for about a year now."

"Wow. That's sad and amazing all at once. I'm glad to hear he's great."

"Yeah … when the crash happened, I was in the hospital with him. Pain attack."

Hannah smiled at the girl in acknowledgement.

"I'm sorry." The girl says suddenly.

"For what?" Hannah asks in genuine confusion.

"Spilling that story on you. I just met you ten minutes ago. I don't even know you. My dad told me sometimes I talk too much for my own good."

"My name's Hannah. Now you know my name."

"Anabela. However, everyone calls my Chrissy. Sort of my nickname."

"Pretty name."

"It's Latin for Grace of God and Beauty. Latin is sort of a thing for my parents."

"You're a smart girl Chrissy."

"Angela!" a male voice yells.

Anabela smiles, waving down at the boy with the number forty-seven on his jersey.

"My brother Zach."

"Why'd he call you Angela?" Hannah asks, more memories of Seeley and his friends forming.

"I've got two middle names, we all do except my oldest brother. Zach and I have this thing where we call one another by each other's nicknames. It's our special bond."

"Jack!" She yells back smiling.

Zach smiles, lifting a chain out of jersey and kissing it. Anabela does the exact same thing. Hannah watches with wonder in her eyes.

"Cute necklace."

"Zach and I have matching one. It's the patron saint, St. Francis. He was a promoter of peace. After the accident, it became our thing. My mom got the set specially made for us before Zach came to New York."

"It's nice to see people who love each other so much. You don't always see that today. Not in families."

"I know. Sometimes people just need the realization that we all don't have an eternity to make it all right. Life is so short, you know? We all could be here one minute and gone in a couple of seconds."

"You seem years older than you are."

Anabela shrugs her shoulders again.

"I know how cruel this world is. It makes you seem older than you really are."

A man jogs up to Anabela and stands next to her sitting form.

"Parker, where is everyone?"

"Relax Ana. Dad and Hodgins had to park the car. Mikey came with them."

A huge smile forms on Anabela's face and her brother smiles down at her.

"Why are you standing?"

"They need to be able to see where we're sitting."

"Oh. Parker, this is Hannah. Hannah, this is my oldest brother Parker."

Parker shakes hands with her, and Hannah gets a familiar vibe from him. Maybe because she has seen him play on T.V. before.

"Nice to meet you Hannah."

"Nice to meet you too." Hannah replies.

Parker starts to wave his arms back and forth. Hannah can see a huge crowd coming into the door. A woman, three men, and six kids sit down next to Hannah.

"Have you been here long Han?" Hannah's sister Alice asks.

"No. About fifteen minutes. I've been talking to this girl," Hannah says making Anabela turn towards her family, "Anabela, this is my sister Hayley, her husband George, my brother Heath, my husband Tyler, my nieces Kala and Kyra, my nephews Neil and Jacob, and my kids Cecilia and Taylor. Everyone this is the delightful young lady who kept me company Anabela."

"Nice to meet you all." Anabela says.

A lot of 'Nice to meet yous' and a 'She's hot' ensue. Anabela smiles as her family descends. She can see her entire surrogate and real family filling in the three rows that Zach got reserved for them. Michael sits behind Anabela and she leans back into him.

"Oh Hannah, this is my huge family," Anabela says causing Hannah to turn towards her and see the group up close.

"Everyone I want you all to meet Hannah. I met her when she sat next to me."

Eight faces besides Hannah's fill with shock. Never in a million years would any of the nine guess that this would be how they reunite.

"Hannah." Seven voices say in unison.

"Am I missing something?" Anabela says.

"How could I not recognize her?" Parker mumbles next to Anabela.

"You all know one another?" Anabela asks in shock.

"Long story." Hodgins says, trying not to laugh.

"It's been a while." Hannah says.

"Eighteen years." Angela says, the only one smiling.

"It's nice to see you again Hannah." Brennan says.

Anabela takes off her jacket to get more comfortable with this awkward turn of events. Hannah says the letters 'BOOTH' across the back.

"This is awkward." Sweets says.

Wendell hits him in the arm to tell him to shut up. Daisy is still in shock from this turn of events.

"Nice to see you all again, not that I thought it would happen like this." Hannah admits.

"From the looks on everyone's faces, I would assume none of you did." A young boy says.

"Hannah, that's my younger brother Henry but everyone calls him Hank and that's his twin Vincent. This is the boyfriend I told you about, Michael. That's his sisters Catherine and Amara. I assume you know all the adults who looked shocked. That's Cam's husband, Paul and her daughters Michelle and Rachel and their son Monroe. That's Sweets and Daisy's sons Eric, Harold, Hadley, and Daniel. Wendell's wife Emily and their twin daughters Emilia and Emilie. That's my Grandpa Max, my Uncle Russ and his wife, my aunt Amy. My cousins Hayley, Emma, Charlie and Matthew. That's my Uncle Jared and his wife Padme. My cousins Bethany and Henry Joseph."

"Wow. The Squint Squad has definitely grown since I was last there."

"How do you all know one another?" Vincent asks, letting out the million-dollar question.

"I used to date Seeley." Hannah reveals.

All the kids' faces turn to Booth who to this point was quiet.

"Dad, you used to date her?" Henry asks.

"Yea long before any of you." Booth says with a slight smile.

Hannah notices how Booth and Brennan seem to be so close to one another. She should have known. Hell that was why she said no all those years ago. There was only so long she could stay the other woman and marrying a man who was in love with a woman who had admitted to being in love with him was not how she wanted to live her life. She met Tyler five years after she left D.C. He was stationed in Iraq. It was love at first sight for them, different form how she had felt for Booth though she was still nursing the wounds from that particular relationship.

"You dated her before you got Aunt Bren pregnant?" Amara asks.

"Yes, he did. Hannah, how have you been?" Angela asks, curious, ignoring the glares from Booth.

"Great. I feel like I've been sent back in time." Hannah says.

"Are one of your kids on the team?" Cam asks.

"No. My nephew is. My oldest is thirteen."

The kids can all feel the tension between the adults.

"You have a great kid here Temperance. She was telling me how she got accepted to John Hopkins."

"Yes, we're very proud of her accomplishments." Brennan replied with genuine happiness.

"Wait, Auntie Angela, this is the blonde reporter named Hannah who you claimed snatched Uncle Booth from Aunt Brennan when he went away to a war you claim he had no business going to?" Sweets' youngest son who was eight, Hadley asked.

All the teenagers begin to laugh while Hannah's face flush a million different shades of pink.

"Angie!" Hodgins says, nudging her.

"Hey, I just retold a tale as old as time." Angela says, lifting her hands in a mock surrender.

The group all laugh. Anabela leans over toward Hannah.

"I'm sorry. My family is somewhat embarrassing. Nevertheless, I want to thank you." Anabela says whispering to Hannah.

"For what?" Hannah asks.

"For saying no to my Dad. For being with him at all. My mom said she knew she loved him but I guess she needed to lose him to realize how much she couldn't live without him. Therefore, I want to say thanks. I probably wouldn't be here like I am today if it wasn't for you. You were the catalyst. Even though I assume it hurt you to say no means the world to me that you did. You probably saw through my Dad like he sees through my Mom."

"I knew what I was when I was with Booth. Even though I don't feel you should be thanking me, you're welcome. I can tell you have amazing family."

"I do. I hope I see you again."

"I do too. I enjoyed talking with you." Hannah says before turning back to her own family.

She takes another look at Booth and Brennan. Booth has his arm around her while she holds that hand and Hannah spots the platinum wedding bands they both have. While Anabela thanked Hannah for being the catalyst in her parents' relationship, Hannah thanked God for meeting Seeley. If she had not lost and loved him, she might not have met Tyler and learned what true love really was.


End file.
